Dress form



March 4, 1941.v F, HENRY 2,233,610

' DRESS FORM Filed July 18, 1959- K! /6 /2 /5 FIIE E INVENTOR M Fran cesHen/"g ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRESSFORM 7 Application July 18, 1939, Serial No. 285,098

Claims.

This invention relates to dress forms, such as display forms anddressmaker forms, and has for one of its objects a dress form, includingupper arms, that substantially conforms to the contour 5 of the upperportion of a human body, and in which form said upper arms are movablein a manner and to positions, generally conforming to the manner ofmovement, and positions, of the arms of a person, one of which positionsis with 1 the arms extended upwardly from the shoulders so as to liesubstantially within the confines of the greatest width across the bodyportion of the form, and another of which position-s is with the armsext-ended downwardly and disposed outwardly of the above mentioned widthacross said body portion.

Another object of the invention is a dress form, including armsconnected to the body of the form by pivots that support the arms forswinging about pivotal points positioned at about the same points as thepivotal points connecting the upper arms of a person with the body, andwhich arms, in my dress form are adapted to present substantiallyunobstructed, smooth and continuous,

outwardly facing surfaces with the adjoining surfaces of the body of theform when the arms are swung to vertically upwardly extending andvertically downwardly extending positions so as not to injure a dress inslipping the latter downwardly onto the form or in removing the sametherefrom, or to produce irregularities of a character not found in thecorresponding anatomy of a person.

A still further object is the provision of a dress form thatsubstantially conforms in shape and contour to the body of a person,including the neck, shoulders, bust, and upper arms, and in which theupper surfaces of the arm portions on the dress form is formed inoutward continuation 0 of the slope of the shoulders, and which said armportions are pivotally connected to the body portion to swing fromdownwardly extending positions to vertically upwardly extendingpositions over the sloped portions of the shoulders with the curvedupper surfaces of the arm portions positioned, generally, in the curvesat the juncture of the neck and body of the form at opposite sides ofthe neck, but with the arm spaced from the 50 neck.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and drawingannexed hereto.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of my dress form with the upwardlyextending positions of 55 the arms indicated in. dott'cd'lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the form.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the inner side of one of thearms.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational View of one of the outer, later-a1sides of the body of the form. 5

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line '5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the portion of the arm joint that is carried bythe body, with the plate securing the same to the body being shown in 10section.

Briefly described, the improved dress form herein described, is for useprincipally as a display form and dressmaker form in which thedimensions of the upper portion of the human body 15 are relativelyclosely followed so that the form will fill out the dress insubstantially the same manner as though the dress were on the body of aperson, hence, I am not concerned with the fiat board forms or the likewhich are merely intended to support dresses after the manner of clotheshangers. l-leretofore, in forms of my general type, it has beenimpossible to slip dresses over such forms without either removing thearms, where the arms are removable, or providing a relatively longplacket in the side of the dress to enable slipping the dress over theshoulders of the form. In cases where the arms are first removed toplace the dress on the body of the form, the operator must reattach thearms, which is 30 generally done by slipping the arms through the neckof the dress and then into the arm openings in the dress, which isinconvenient and is attended by the possibility of injury to the dress.Attempts have been made to pivot the arms so they can move to verticallyupwardly extending positions, relative to the body, but the width acrossthe shoulders generally remains substantially the same, thus requiringthe excessively large placket in the side to enable placing the 40 dresson the form. This invention as disclosed in this application, overcomesthe objections enumerated above, and, while a placket is generallynecessary, where the circumferential dimension around the bust exceedsthat of the waist, and in ready-made dresses, the length of the placketis reduced to almost half by the use of my invention. It is alsopertinent to note, that in display forms, it has heretofore beencustomary to place oversize dresses on the forms, in order to facilitateplacing such dresses on said forms, and the surplus resulting from theoversize is taken up by pins or the like to give the appearance of acorrect fit.

in detail, the form illustrated in the drawings comprises .a bodyportion I, arms 2 and neck 3. The body portion, including the neck, isone integrail unit and the arms, of which only the upper arm portionsare shown, are separate The body and arms are shaped to conform tocorresponding parts :of the human body, as to crosssectional contour,and in outline. The female form is shown, since the problems of fittingdresses on forms are not generally present in fitting mens clothing.

The body and arms of my form are hollow and are preferably made ofpapier-mach for lightness, durability, and economy of manufacture,although any other suitable material may be used. The arms are dividedfrom the body along planes extending slightly lconvergently upwardlyfrom points at opposite sides of the body portion that are at about thelevel of the busts, as indicated by lines X. Thus the upper edges of thearms and body, along the line of division are disposed appreciablyinwardly from the outermost sides of the arms, and it is substantiallyat said upper edges that I position the means pivotally connecting andsuspending the arms on the body.

The means pivotally connectin the arms to the body comprise a plate 4secured to the upper end of each arm on the side thereof that isadjacent the body, .and which plate is formed with a verticallyextending, keyhole slot 5, the enlarged end 6 of said slot beinglowermost. In some instances, the plate 4 may be carried on a disk ofwood 1, or the like, that is fitted into the arm, as indicated in thedrawing, but where the material of the arm is readily molded to provide.a strong supporting base for the plate, the material of the arm itselfmay be employed.

At each of the opposite sides of the body, and opposite to each of theplates 4, is a plate 8, which latter plate is provided with an angularextension 9 adapted to extend a short distance over the upper surface ofthe body in direction toward the neck 3. Said plate 8 is verticallyslotted at I0, said slot continuin at its upper end into extension 9. y

The plate 4 also is formed with an extension 9 that extends over theupper surface ofthe arm, and slot extends into said extension asindicated in Fig. 2.

Extending substantially at right angles to plate 8' and into body I ofthe form, is an elongated bracket II. This bracket is generally of U-shape, with elongated opposed sides I-2 and an end I3 connecting betweenthe ends of said sides that are disposed within the body I, while thesides I2 at the opposite end are formed with oppositely outwardlydirected ears I4. The. ears I4 .are secured between plate 8 and the bodyat opposite sides of slot Ill. The inner end I3 of the bracket is formedwith a lip I5 positioned to overlie the area between said sides adjacentsaid end I3.

Disposed between the opposed sides I2 of said bracket, and extendinglongitudinally thereof, is a bar I6. Said bar" It extends outwardly ofthe bracket between the open end thereof and through slot Ill in plate8, and the end projecting outwardly of said plate is provided with aball I'I. This ball I1 is too large in diameter to pass through eitherslots 5, or II], but readily passes through the enlarged end 6 of slot5. The end of the bar I6 opposite ball I! extends below the lip I5 andsaid end is threaded for a nut I8, or a pair of such nuts to insurelocking such nuts in any desired position on said end.

- said bar I6 slidably extends through a support I9, which may be in theform of an apertured block, or a sleeve, and which support is providedwith oppositely outwardly projecting stub shafts 20, or trunnions, atopposite sides thereof. The shafts 20 are rotatably supported inopenings in sides I2 of bracket II, thus enabling the bar I6 with theball I1 therein to be swung in the plane of the body in which theshoulders are both disposed, while at the same time the bar I6 may slidelongitudinally relative to the axis of shafts 20.

Reacting between support I9 and nuts I8 is an expansion coil spring 2Iunder compression, which spring surrounds said bar I6 and constantlyurges ball I I toward plate 8. Tension of saidspring is regulated byadjusting nuts I8.

- To attach each of arms 2 to the body, the operator merely slips ballI! into enlarged opening 6 of slot 5, and then pulls the arm downwardly,whereupon ball I! is disposed in the arm and engages the inner sides ofthe edges of the slot 5.

The extension 9' on plate 4 and the lower edge of slot I0, together withengagement between lip I5 and nuts I8, all cooperate to hold the armsuspended from bar I 6 in a position in which the upper surface ofthe'arm is flush, and in out ward continuation of the upper surface ofthe body that extends outwardly from the neck, hence, when a dress is onthe form, the shoulders 2 will support, .and fill out the dress insubstantially the same manner as when the dress is on a person.

When arms 2 are suspended in downwardly extending positions at oppositesides of the body I, it is obvious that they may be independently swungthrough a complete circle around bar I6 as an axis, in planes extendingperpendicular tothe plane in which both shoulders are disposed, and alsothe arms may be swung outwardly of the body in the'last mentioned plane.It is this last movement that is particularly important in thisinvention. In swinging the arms outwardly and upwardly, the upper edgesof the arms, at the bends in plates 4, fulcrum on the adjacent plates 8adjacent the bend at the junctures of plates 8 andextensions 9. Duringthe swinging movement the bars I6 pivot on the shafts 20 as the ballends I1 swing upwardly and as the arms move to upwardly extendingposition the bars I6 move in slots 5, I0 across the junctures of plates4, 8 with extensions 9, 9 .and into the extensions of said slots thatcontinue into said extensions 9', 9, so that the bars I6 and arms 2 areboth substantially vertically extending when the arms extend verticallyupwardly, and the extensions 9, 9' are substantially flattened for ashort distance adjacent their junctures with plates 8, 4, which,together with the connecting bars I6, facilitate holding the arms intheir upwardly extending positions, although the bars alone willfunction-to accomplish this result.

When the arms are in upwardly extending position, .as above described,they are disposed within the confines of the body, and particularly arewithin the confines of the outermost points of the lateral sides of thebody, hence oiier no obstruction to a dress during downward slipping ofthe latter over the form. Also, the arm openings in the dress willreadily pass the arms 2 therethrough and after the dress issubstantially fully positioned on the form, the arms are swung outwardlyand downwardly, where they automatically move to their normal downwardlyextending positions, filling. out the shoulders of the dress. It is alsoimportant to note that there is a space between the neck 3, and arms 2,when the latter are in upwardly extending position, thus enabling thecollar of the dress to move over the neck while the arms extendupwardly, and also that the plates 4, 8 are flush with each other, whenthe arms are in said upwardly extending position. Since the plates 4, 8are virtually continuations of the sides of the arms and body on whichthey are positioned, it is apparent that said sides will form acontinuous smooth surface when said arms are upwardly extending. Alsowhen the arms hang downwardly, they are spaced from the body at aboutthe point where the arm pits of a person would be.

To disconnect the arms, when the latter are suspended from the bars it,it is merely necessary to move the arms bodily upwardly, until the ballends H slip out of enlarged openings 6 at the lower ends of slots 5.

The plates 4, 8 may obviously be reduced in size merely sufficient tocarry the slots, and a metallic form could have the slots made in theform walls themselves. Also in display forms that have painted orenameled surfaces, the plates may be correspondingly painted, so thatthe only indication of the presence of the particular pivot meansemployed, would be the slots. In dressmaker forms, the usual fabriccovering 26 may cover the forms, including the arms, and the plates 4,8, in such instances would cover the margins of the fabric at thejuncture of the arms and body to help secure the fabric in position. Theextensions 9, 9 are, of course, preferably countersunk in the materialof the body and arms, so as not to project from the surface thereof, andlikewise the plates may be countersunk in the adjacent sides of the formand arms.

While the drawing shows only the upper portions of the body and theupper arms, it is obvious that the body may carry legs, or a supportingpost, and that the arms may have the conventional joints for lower armsand hands, all of which are conventional, but in any event, theadvantages of the particular invention herein described are present.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A dress form comprising a bust portion, neck, shoulders and upper armportions, said arm portions being normally positioned vertically atopposite lateral sides of said bust portion and terminating at theirupper end surfaces substantially flush with the upper surfaces of theshoulders, means adjacent the upper end of each of the upper armportions pivotally suspending said arm portions, respectively, indownwardly extending positions from said bust portion for swinging topositions extending upwardly and over the bust portion and to within theupwardly projected area over said bust portion between said sides,

said means including a pair of pivots disposed adjacent the upper endsof each of the arm portions, one pivot of each pair being secured to thebust portion and the other pivot of each pair being secured to the upperend of one of the arm portions and means connecting the pivots of eachpair.

2. In a construction as defined in claim 1, means yieldably urging oneof the pivots of each pair toward the other pivot of the same pair.

3. In a dress form that includes portions simulating in outline and inhorizontal cross-sectional contour, the shoulders, neck, bust and upperarms of a person, the outer ends of the shoulder portions of said formbeing formed integrally with the said arm portions and forming the upperends of the latter, pivots swingingly suspending and supporting said armportions from the bust portion in vertical positions at oppositelateral, outer sides of said bust portion for arcuate movement of saidarm portions in a single plane to inverted positions extending upwardlyand over said bust portion with the upper surfaces of said upper endsdisposed over and facing toward the upper surfaces of the bust portionthat are at opposite sides of said neck portion, said pivots beingdisposed adjacent said upper ends, and means supporting said pivots forarcuate movement relative to said bust portion during said movement ofsaid arm portions in said plane.

4. A dress form comprising a bust portion, a neck portion, and armportions normally positioned substantially vertical at opposite outersides of said bust portion, the said bust, neck, and arm portionscorresponding, in arrangement, with corresponding portions of the humanbody and being formed to substantially correspond, in breadth andthickness, to said corresponding portions, said arm portions beingseparate from said bust portions, and the adjacent sides of said bustportion and said arm portions, respectively, being flattened and inengagement with each other, the adjacent upper edges of said armportions and said bust portion providing fulcrums about which said armportions are adapted to be swung upon swinging the lower ends of saidarm portions in a single plane outwardly and upwardly to substantiallyvertical positions above and over the upper sides of said bust portionthat are at opposite sides of said neck portion, pivots suspending saidarm portions from said bust portion for said swinging movement aboutsaid fulcrums, and means securing said arm portions to said bust portionin said vertical positions at opposite outer sides of said body forswinging said arms in separate planes perpendicular to the Verticalplane of said bust portion in its greatest width, which greatest widthis across the body through the said opposite lateral sides thereof.

5. In a construction as defined in claim 4,

